


Little By Little He's Learning This Life

by dorkilysoulless (custodian)



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Character Study, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-07
Updated: 2014-09-07
Packaged: 2018-02-16 12:21:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2269491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/custodian/pseuds/dorkilysoulless
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Sam buys Jess a gift for her birthday.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Little By Little He's Learning This Life

**Author's Note:**

> Written as a fill for [Hellatus Prompt Fic Tuesday](http://itfeltpurefic.tumblr.com/hellatus) on my Tumblr blog.

A full ride to Stanford doesn’t pay the bills. Technically, it doesn’t even entirely pay for Stanford. 

It was harder at first, when he started. Sam’s basically a first generation college student with zero family support. He opted into everything that looked like it might help, and a dozen other things besides. He picked up work-study gigs, did odd jobs, and worked full-time (and maybe a little more) during the summer. He even scored a gig as an RA his sophomore and junior years. 

Now that he’s a senior, he’s off-campus with a decent job at the law library, with some tutoring work on the side. Living with Jess helps, too. For the first time ever, he’s almost comfortable. He’s got pocket money. He even has a little bit of a savings, now. Sam may still be poor by Stanford standards, but at least he doesn’t stick out as badly now. Going out with friends isn’t a burden the way it used to be. 

Oh, and he can finally buy Jess something nice for her birthday. 

He’s self-conscious about living with Jess. They’ve got a pretty nice place together, and she insists on paying proportionally according to their incomes, but he’s proud of his contribution. He’s met her family, and they’re nice to him even if her dad keeps hinting about his attitudes about husbands, fathers, and providers. 

Jess always swats him in the arm when she catches it. Sam always smiles and calls him “sir” and “Mr. Moore” and mentions that he’s planning on going to law school, even though the job market in law is kind of tanking right now. 

There’s a lot he can do with a J.D. degree, and he’s willing to work. That’ll be enough.

He peers down through the glass at the jewelry counter and actually has to remind himself to breathe. He’s never done this before. Never really thought he could. And yeah, this is just a jewelry shop in a mall, but this mall also has a damn Luis Vuitton and a Tiffany & Co. in it.

Just because he’s figured out how to look like any other Stanford kid doesn’t mean he doesn’t feel out of his depth. And yet, he’s happy. No, screw that. He’s ecstatic. 

“Was there something you’d like to see?” the woman at the counter asks, and he startles slightly. She’s tall and slim and dark, like her skirt and jacket. Her name tag says “CARMEN” in carefully engraved script.

“Um. Yeah. The bracelet there?” He points to an open, velvet-lined box. It’s a fragile-looking thing, gold and silver links with cut blue stones he thinks might be sapphires. 

The saleswoman — Carmen — nods and bends down to open the case. She sets the box on the counter. 

Without thinking, he touches it, fingertips brushing along the length of it. It’s beautiful. The stones makes him think of Jess’ eyes. He can imagine it glittering on the warm, tanned skin of her wrist. 

There’s a tiny paper tag attached to the bracelet by a short bit of maroon thread. Sam swallows and turns it over. 

He’s never spent this much on anything that wasn’t a gun. For the barest instant he imagines his father’s look of disappointment. This isn’t useful. It won’t feed someone, get someone somewhere, kill something, or keep anybody alive. It’s just a bunch of shiny rocks on an easily broken chain. 

“I’ll take it,” he says, and stands up a little straighter. He forces a smile, and is suprised how easily it becomes real. “It’s perfect.”

The actual transaction is a blur. His heart beats too fast as she packs up the box for him. He has to ball his hand up in a fist in his jacket pocket to keep from drumming his fingers when she runs his card. It’s like he’s waiting for a shoe to drop, or something to go wrong.

Nothing does.

“Whoever she is, she’s a lucky girl,” the woman tells him as she hands the box over with a receipt and winks.

“Thanks.” Sam blushes. “I feel like a pretty lucky guy.”

He tucks the into his inside jacket pocket. His whole chest feels like it’s ringing and he can’t wipe the dumb grin off his face, even as he jogs down the street to catch the bus. 

Little by little he’s learning this life, and life couldn’t be better.


End file.
